710707 - Lecture - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

710707LE-LOS_ANGELES - July 07, 1971 - 14:29 Minutes

Prabhupāda: All glories to Gargamuni. Jaya. Bhavānanda? All right. (chuckles) Bhavānanda, Karandhara, Jayānanda—all ānanda. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Here is a place where by nature one will be blissful. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. This is the Vedanta-sutra. The spirit soul by nature is joyful.

God is joyful, and we are part and parcel of God; we are by nature joyful. But by freaks of nature, because we are prone to be allured by the illusory nature, we have come to this material world; therefore, we are suffering. Otherwise, enjoyment is our birthright. Enjoyment is our birthright.

This is the beginning. What you are practicing here, if you continue to practice this till the time of your death, then immediately you are transferred to the blissful kingdom of God and enjoy there. There is no . . . just like in the Vedas it is stated, na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8). God has nothing to do. Similarly, just like a rich man, he has nothing to do. Similarly, a rich man's son has also nothing to do.

That we have forgotten. Here in this material world you have to struggle hard day and night. Don't you see how people are working hard, going this way and that way in cars? You see? This is not our nature. Our nature . . . therefore, here in this material world also, as soon as we get some money, bank balance, we like to have some secluded place, a nice apartment and a nice garden, and enjoy life. That is the nature. All rich men, they go out of the town. Why? This is not . . . this is unnatural.

This hubble-bubble life is unnatural. Real life is that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, enjoyment. Kṛṣṇa is young boy. He is not young, He is the oldest. Because He is the Supreme Father, therefore He is the oldest. But He looks always young. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33), in the Brahma-saṁhitā. He is the original person. Still, whenever you will see Kṛṣṇa: young boy, just like sixteen-years-old boy. That's all. Similarly Rādhārāṇī.

So this is the life. So you can also go and associate with Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā. Just like here they are enjoying in so many capacities—as His servant, as His friend, as His father, mother, or as His lover—any way you like. So continue this Kṛṣṇa conscious life. As you are feeling joyful, if you continue till your death, then immediately after your death you are transferred to the abode of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and enjoy life for good.

Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances) (kīrtana) (break)

It is a prayer to Lord Caitanya. "My dear Lord Caitanya," or "My Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, please be kind upon me. Be merciful upon me." Tomā vinā ke dayalu, jagata saṁsāre (Punaḥ Prārthanā). There is nobody else who can be really merciful in this world. Nobody can be merciful. The so-called merciful, so-called charity, humanity, they are all useless.

Because suppose a man has gone crazy, he left his home and loitering in the street, sometime here, sometime there. He has no place to live, even; no food to eat. But he belongs to a very respectable family or his father is very rich. So if somebody gives him some food, "Oh, you, boy, you are loitering. Take some food," of course, that is mercy, but that is not ultimate mercy. Real mercy is just to take back this boy, in sanity, to his father's home.

So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhu is doing that mercy. He has come to reclaim all these conditioned soul to go back home, back to Godhead, back to home, because that is the ultimate solution. Simply by changing this body and having sometimes very comfortable situation and sometimes very miserable condition . . . just like we see varieties of living entities even in the human society.

Your country is supposed to be very rich. My country is supposed to be poverty-stricken. So it may be that as I have come to your country, I may come again in your country or you may go to India. So this change is going on. Sometimes we are in a very nice position, sometimes in a very lower position. This is going on.

Therefore, temporary relief under the name of this humanity, altruism, patriotism, nationalism, communism, socialism—there are so many "isms"—that is not solution. Real solution is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You change your consciousness.

(aside) You can sit down; there is no harm.

So therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says: "My dear Lord Caitanya, please be merciful." Actually if we want mercy, we have to take it from Lord Caitanya in this age. And your business is that you realize it and distribute it.

Those who are already in our Society, you are intelligent boys, intelligent girls. What you are realizing? Is it not very good, the activities of this Society? Very simple. I think in this great city of Los Angeles you will hardly find a place like this. Anyone who will come immediately will find some peace, undoubtedly.

So you have to always pray to Lord Caitanya that "Be merciful upon me." And Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra: "My dear Lord, You have come to reclaim all fallen souls," mo sama patita prabhu nā pāibe āra, "but You will not find anyone greater fallen than me." Everyone should think like that. Nobody should think that "I have now passed the examination. I have become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, so my passport is now guaranteed." No. Māyā is so strong that any moment we can fall down unless we keep ourself very strong.

So that keeping oneself in strong is always engagement, to become always engaged in these Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities, or devotional service. We have got multi-activities. You are practically doing that from morning, four o'clock, to ten o'clock at night. But because furthermore cannot be done, we stop. Otherwise we have got twenty-four-hours' engagement. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu advises, kīrtanīya sadā hari (CC Ādi 17.31): one should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness business twenty-four hours. Actually, the Gosvāmīs used to do that.

So everyone, that is my request, that always be engaged. Either find out some work, or if you have no work, then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Don't sit idly. Then māyā will not touch you. Otherwise, she is always very anxious how to capture you.

kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare

pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare

(Prema-vivarta)

Jāpaṭiyā dhare, there is a Bengali word. Just like if you catch one person like this, he becomes immediately unfit to move. So kṛṣṇa-bhuliya, as soon as we forget Kṛṣṇa and think of sense gratification, immediately māyā captures like this, "Yes, sir, come on." Yes, yes. Like this. So:

kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare

pāśate māyā tāre . . .

Pāśe, she is always on your side. You haven't got to call. She is also as powerful as Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa is present everywhere, similarly māyā is also present everywhere. She is also one of the potencies of Kṛṣṇa. Just like police department, it is as powerful as government because it is a department of government. Similarly, māyā is also another department of Kṛṣṇa, so it is as powerful as Kṛṣṇa.

Our position is that we are controlled, predominated. We are not controller. Anyone who is thinking that, "I am controller" is a fool. Nobody is controller. Everyone is controlled. So if we do not put ourself to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa, then we shall have to be controlled by māyā. Two ways.

Now it is your selection. You cannot be independent. That's a fact. If you don't want to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa, then you will have to be controlled by māyā. And if you don't want to be controlled by māyā, then you will have to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Two alternatives. That's all.

So, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)